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Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus aggregate)

A prickly scrambling shrub that forms dense thickets along creeks, gullies and forest edges in the cooler, wetter parts of Australia.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: Europe.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Other names: European blackberry.

Best time to act: Spray from flowering in late spring until early autumn.

Identification

  • Arching canes up to 7 m long, armed with sharp, backward-pointing prickles.
  • Leaves with three to five toothed leaflets, dark green above and paler below.
  • White to pink flowers followed by berries that ripen from red to black.
  • Look-alike: Native raspberries (Rubus parvifolius and others) are less vigorous and have simpler leaves.

Where it grows

Creek banks, gullies, forest edges, roadsides and pasture where rainfall exceeds about 700 mm.

Why it matters

  • Restricts access for stock, people and fire crews.
  • Harbours rabbits, foxes and feral pigs.
  • Reduces pasture and displaces native vegetation.

How it spreads

  • Seeds in berries spread by birds, foxes and other animals.
  • Cane tips root where they touch the ground.

Control options

  • Registered herbicides applied to actively growing plants from flowering through to early autumn.
  • Slashing or grazing by goats to reduce thickets before treating regrowth.
  • Biological control with blackberry leaf rust in some areas.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Remove fruit and cane fragments from machinery before leaving the site.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): Weed of National Significance. One of 32 nationally agreed priority weeds, managed through national strategies with all states and territories.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, category 3. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Sale prohibited; Regional priority in 6 of 11 regions. It must not be imported into NSW or sold anywhere in the state. Regional priority weed in Central Tablelands, Central West, Hunter, Murray, North West, Northern Tablelands. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Regionally controlled / regionally restricted weed (varies by region). Where it is regionally controlled, landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its growth and spread on their land. Where it is a restricted weed, trade in it (including the plant, its seed or contaminated material) is prohibited.
  • South Australia: Declared plant. Depending on the declaration, it can be an offence to move it on public roads or sell it, and landowners may be required to control it on their land.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1, C3), some species prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. C3 Management: landholders must manage it to reduce its impact and stop it spreading. Some species must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Check NT list. There is no NT weed profile for it. Check the NT declared weeds list for its current status.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources